Have you been curious if there is an LED that compares to an HMI? We were, and recently purchased Intellytech's (Socanland) F-485 Fresnel and compared it to our Bron 400 Watt HMI.

We found the output nearly identical. Without the Bron's diffusion filter, its center spot was a bit brighter. But we were very impressed with the F-485. By the way, the Bron has been listed on ebay for several weeks...no takers!

The F-485 is a beast though. It's 25 lbs. but you don't have to worry about a ballast. It does have a built in fan, and without it, you only get about 50% output. Is the fan noisy? Not really. If the camera was right beside it, you may hear it if you are filming indoors, but outside, no way.

How about the build? For only $1,399.00 it's half the cost of my used Bron (purchased on ebay a year ago for $3,000), made from aluminum and plastic. Seems sturdy enough for the type of work we do. Not sure how well it would hold up in a network news environment where it's being heavily utilized on a daily basis.

We are excited about using it, and also purchased their LED Light Stix which we will report on soon!